


King of the Castle

by whynot



Category: Fallout 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 01:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11325702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whynot/pseuds/whynot
Summary: A kid manages to sneak into the park, and he just so happens to be a little piece of home.





	King of the Castle

**Author's Note:**

> Jay is James' oc (painthekiller on tumblr) who I adored so much I wanted to add him to Mae's world :)

“Boss?”

Mae opened her eyes to see the Pack member standing in front of the stage, nervously scratching his head. She didn’t recognize him, so he must have come from one of the two other parks. She guessed the Kingdom, seeing as he had tickets hanging out of his pocket.

“Which boss you talkin’ to?” Mason questioned.

“Uh… both? There’s a situation at the Kingdom.”

Mae sat up and turned in Mason’s lap. “What kind of situation?”

“Some kid wandered in and he won’t leave. We’ve been keepin’ ‘im busy with the games.”

Mason blinked at him. “And how the fuck did a kid get in?”

“Don’t know, boss. He just kinda appeared, askin’ for more tickets.”

“I’ll go,” Mason offered.

“I’ll come with,” Mae said, standing up so he could do the same. “I wanna see this for myself.”

“In that case, you get a head start while I tell Shorty to keep an eye on the place. I needa stress to him not to leave, seein’ as he’s too fuckin’ stupid to grasp that concept without it being emphasized.”

 

Mae followed the Pack member to one of the restored gaming stalls, where a boy about five feet tall was shooting at the targets with surprising accuracy. A prize crown was adorned crookedly on his head, pillowing down his black hair. He was wearing a souvenir pack, stuffed animals peaking out and tickets spilling from the side pockets. As Mae got closer, her p.i.p sounded off a high-pitched beep. She raised her arm and saw a warning for radiation on the screen, but the amount being emitted wasn't enough to set her geiger off. She chalked it up to lingering radiation inside the park. Though, she hadn't gotten a reading in a while besides up on the roof.

“Uh, hello?” she greeted as she stepped closer, and the kid turned to strike her with blue eyes. He glanced away to shoot down the last standing target, then placed the toy gun down.

“Hey,” he responded simply.

Mae sat on the stall’s counter. “My name’s Mae.”

He smiled, showing nearly perfect teeth. Strange for a wastelander. “I’m Jay.”

“Wanna tell me how you got in here, Jay? Not a lot of people can do that.”

He shrugged off his pack and dug passed the stuffed animals to pull out a Stealth Boy, displaying it to her with a relaxed shrug.

“Okay…” She tucked a leg up and leaned forward. “Where you from?”

“The Institute. I’m a synth.”

That made her straighten right back up. Files from the Network terminal went through her mind like a flip book, reports on a synthetic child prototype and his development, his behaviors and personalty, and his escape.

“Boss?” A nearby pack member mumbled, reaching slowly for his pistol.

She shook her head, then waved him off, along with any other nearby raiders. Once her and Jay were alone, she leaned forward again. “I’m from there, too. Escaped just like you did."

“Really? How?”

"Relay. You?"

“Relay, too. Managed to sneak up there. X6-88 found me, but he let me go so long as I promised not to bother them.” Mae opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. “I wanna stay here.”

“Oh,” she blurted. “Uh… You do?”

“Uh huh. I can give you a stuffed animal if you want something in return. I got a really cool—“

“It’s just… it’s a little dangerous here for a kid.”

“I’m not a kid. I’m 20. I promise I won’t cause too much trouble, and I’ll help out with whatever you want me to.”

“Kitten?”

Mae looked up and saw Mason stalking over, eyes on their visitor. “This is Jay. He’s from… home.”

His eyebrows jumped and he looked back at Jay, the kid now staring at him with wide eyes. "That so?"

“He’s a synth,” Mae informed. “20 years old. And he wants to stay here… In Kiddie Kingdom.”

Jay shrugged off his pack again and took out a stuffed animal, offering it to Mason with an expression that said it was one of the more valuable ones. “Compensation.”

Mason smiled and huffed out a lighthearted chuckle. “Look kid, you’re cute, but we ain’t babysitters.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah? All right, tough guy. Tell ya what.” He flipped the switch to set the targets up again. “You get a bullseye for each of the targets first try, you can stay. I mean, as long as it’s cool with the boss lady.”

“Fine by me,” Mae smiled. “He’s immune to radiation, so we can set up the roof to be his place. Still lingering rads up there, so one one will bother him.”

“Deal,” Jay agreed, picking the toy gun up.

“Ah ah,” Mason chided when he aimed, and he took the kid by the shoulder to back him up a few yards. “From here.”

Mae kneaded at the heel of her palm as Jay aimed, a bit nervous that he wouldn’t do too well at the distance Mason created. She wouldn’t feel comfortable sending the synth out - he may technically be 20 years old, but he seemed to be a child at heart. And it wouldn’t hurt to have someone from home hanging around, even if she hated the Institute.

In 10 seconds he shot 12 targets, every single one struck at its center. A bell rang and one of the prize cases swung open to allow access to a large stuffed lion. Jay jogged back to the stall and hopped the counter to claim it.

“Well, that’s a big fuckin’ surprise,” Mason said, joining Mae at her side.

“Watch your language,” Jay scolded, not bothering to look at them. “So where am I staying?”

“You can stay in the Amphitheater while I have a few people set your place up for you,” Mae told him.

“The amphitheater?”

“My place,” Mason piped up.

“Oh,” Jay breathed, a smile relaxing his expression. “Cool.” He held the lion against his side. “Let’s go.”

Mason gestured for him to go first, and Mae waited until Jay passed to speak quietly, “You really okay with this? I don’t wanna force this on you.”

“Yeah, sure. Long as he doesn’t act like a little shit, it’s no fur off my ass.”

Mae closed her eyes. “Oh… baby…” She took his face in her hands and pulled him down to cradle his head to her chest. “Never say that phrase again, ever, in your entire life.”

They heard Jay mumble a quiet _Oh_ from the short distance he’d walked, and after loosing a high pitched whistle, a glowing mongrel dashed from further inside the park to join his side.

Mason peaked his head sideways just enough to see, his face still cushioned against Mae's breasts. “Let’s hope the mutt gets along with everyone else.”

 

Jay stuck closer to Mason on the leisure walk to the Amphitheater, sparing glances up at him when he thought the alpha wasn’t looking. Then he grew talkative.

_“What’s your name?”_

_“Mason.”_

_“How old are you?”_

_“Stopped counting. 32, I think?”_

_“Any pets?”_

_“Yeah. Lots.”_

_“That’s cool. Do other people live at your place?”_

_“Uh huh.”_

_“Are they nice?”_

_“Some of ‘em.”_

_“I hope they’re nice to me.”_

_“I’ll make sure they are, cub.”_

_The pet name had made him blush. “Do you have a girlfriend? Boyfriend?”_

_“Uh, Mae.”_

_“Oh. How long have you been together?”_

_“Almost a year.”_

_“So you like each other a lot, huh?”_

_“Nah,” Mae smiled. “It’s just that he won’t leave me alone.”_

_“Really?”_

_Mason had huffed out a laugh at that. “Nah, she just thinks she’s cute.”_

  

The questions had continued until they neared the market, where Armada was trudging around. He was starting to get too big for confinement in the amphitheater, so Mae had taught him to rasp at the gate when he wanted one of the guards to let him through.

Jay’s mongrel, ‘Woof’ he had referred to him as, stepped between him and the Yao Guai with a protective growl.

“Down, boy,” Jay ordered, and the mutt backed off with a quiet whine and lick of his jowls.

“You too,” Mae said to Armada as the beast stepped closer with his head bowed threateningly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he stopped. “Friends, okay? Friends.”

Armada rasped out a grunt and yanked his head away only to affectionately headbutt her, making her stumble back.

Mason whistled at him. “Hey. You ain’t tiny anymore, take it easy.”

“He’s fine,” Mae assured, scratching behind the guai’s ears.

“Boss?”

She turned to see Gage jogging over, and she gave him a smile. “Hey, cowboy.”

“What’s all this about a kid in the park?” he questioned, eyes on Jay.

“I’ll come by your territory later to explain. Right now I wanna get him settled in.”

“Settled in? So what, he’s stayin’?”

“ _Later_ , Gage.”

He put his hands palm-side up, albeit with a flare of attitude. “All right. Later, then.”

 

 "You can stay here while we set the roof up for you," Mae told Jay, leading him into her dressing room. "I'll get a bed in here. It's the only private room we've got besides recovery, but we never know when we'll need it."

"I can't sleep in your guys' room?" he questioned, sparing a glance at Mae before staring up at Mason.

"Uh," Mason chuckled. "Sorry cub, but I don't think so. You ain't gotta worry, you'll have a way better set up in a couple days."

"I'll make sure of it," Mae added. "Mason, can you get a bed in here?"

"You got it, kitten." He kissed her head, then lifted Jay's crown to ruffle his hair before placing it back on his head.

"I really like Mason," Jay admitted when the alpha left.

Mae hummed a fond laugh. "Yeah, me too." She sat on her vanity. "So, let's talk. What happened after you escaped the Institute?"

"X6 dropped me in the Glowing Sea, had to walk for a couple days and then I guess I passed out. Ended up in a neighborhood called Sanctuary and stayed there for a few years, but then I heard your broadcast. The one with Cappy and Bottle?"

Mae nodded, glancing away for a moment. They had kept the broadcast up solely to bring in competition for the arena - if Mae was impressed with her opponent's fighting, she'd give them a choice to join Gage's crew, with the raider's blessing of course. "So, you soaked up a lot of rads. That's why you're basically a walking emitter."

"That's what I've always thought."

"Hm. And your designation was... J4...?"

"J4-01."

"Right. So, inside the Institute... what'd they...?"

His face twisted. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Understood. We don't have to."

They both jolted in surprise when the door was kicked open, and Mason walked in hauling a mattress. "Ain't got a boxspring," he informed. "But I think this'll do for a couple days."

"Thanks," Jay said with a bright grinned.

"Sure thing, kid. C'mon, let's talk."

Mae smiled as she followed the two out of the dressing room, Jay sticking so close to Mason that he was practically on the alpha's heels. 

 

The two days it took for Mae’s boys to set the roof up, Jay had grown quite attached to Mason. The Alpha didn’t seem to mind, answered the rapid fire questions and genuinely listened to the kid's stories. Mae couldn't help but smile every time she saw the two - she felt like Mason had taken Jay on as a Pack member.

 

* * *

 

Mae nearly sputtered when she found them, both of the boys napping on the stage. Jay was sprawled on his own seat but leaning against Mason's throne with his head on the alpha's bicep.

"Camera," she whispered to herself, frantically glancing around before remembering where she had put it. She hurried into their room and retrieved it from the shelf, then rushed back and snapped the photo. Mason took in a deep breath through his nose after the flash went off, and Jay groaned.

"Sleepy, are we?" Mae smiled, and Jay only cracked an eye open before nuzzling his face against Mason's arm. "Well, the roof is done whenever you wanna check it out."

That had him bolting up, and Mason stretched before standing himself. Mae took his face in her hands, swaying with him. "Sorry for waking you, baby."

"Nah, nah, nah," he mumbled sleepily. "S'okay. Show us the roof."

 

The beaming smile that was slapped on Jay's face made the last two highly stressful days worth it. He raced around, examining every detail of his new place. Fairy lights strewn across the sheltering roof, the fencing was replaced by colorfully painted walls, there was a massive bed draped with several blankets, and his stuffed animals were added to really make it a home. Little knickknacks decorated shelves, along with comics and books. There was even a terminal with holotape games and movies stocked on its table, and a fluffy bed for Woof.

"Well ain't this a place fit for a king," Mason commented. "You like it, cub?"

"Heck yeah!" he grinned. "Thanks, Mae."

"Was my pleasure. I want you to feel comfortable here. You deserve it, considering all you've been through."

"You're gonna have to pull your weight, y'know," Mason piped up. "Put your sharpshooting skills to use."

"I will. Promise."

Mae straightened Jay's crown. "Welcome home."


End file.
